Well-played, girl
by Afriel
Summary: From a birth of fire to an end in ice. Azula-centric, 50 sentences.


**Well-played, girl**

**Summary:** From a birth of fire to an end in ice. 50 themes, Azula-centric.

**A/N**: Previously "eyes with edges mad", edited since.

**Warnings:**

- Probable overuse of _italics_ and – (parenthesis) –. Slight character study involving melodrama/angst.  
>- Tenses are a mess, but that is intentional. She is mad, and why should madness be rational?<br>- NO incest/slash/pairings – Azula is a little obsessed with Zuko and Ursa, maybe, but nothing intended.  
>- No chronology or plot (exception in 27-32).<br>- Azula might have been a smudge OOC because of the angst, but keep in mind she does go mad towards the end – added to her original high intelligence and a possible tendency to brood on stuff.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar: the Last Airbender.

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><p><strong>1. Ring <strong>

Azula has never made a secret of her disdain for benders using weapons – why trust in the ring of steel when you can rely on the burst of flame?

Zuzu is a fool for his obsession with swords. _(She was just jealous he got shiny weapons and she got dollies. _

_Until she turned five. Then she got to play with flames a thousand times brighter than Zuko's dumb old swords. And Father finally noticed her.)_

**2. Hero**

Azula lets Zuko play the part of the returning hero, even pushes him into the spotlight – another edge over him, should he turn. Not that she needs it, but with the (_lucky_) fool, it is better to be cautious.

_(She was born lucky; he was lucky to be born.. a Crown Prince. No less.)_

**3. Memory **

Little Azula had a marvellous memory, a slightly malicious one too – she could list every one of the maids' slips Mother forgave and Zuzu's mistakes as well as she can recite the _san zi jing_. (1)

But her grandfather's death _(Mother's disappearance)_ is deliberately blank.

**4. Box **

The Earth Kingdom carriage was little more than a box on wheels – a _very_ green and yellow box –

"It looks like a frog-snake threw up then died in here."  
>"Yuck!"<p>

**5. Run **

"_You can run, but I'll catch you."_

Her triumph was at hand and her smile confident. It grew when Zuzu showed up.

For all of Azula's cunning though, she never expected her brother to be quite that desperate, quite _that_ dishonourable _(For everything, Zuko is still Fire Nation royalty, no?)_ as to join forces with their quarry

– and that _she_ would be the one forced to run.

_But Azula learns from her mistakes._

**6. Hurricane**

She once laced her friends' lemonade with alcohol, just to see their reactions: Zuko went out like a light and was no fun at all; Ty Lee's bursts of speech slurred, and Mai was most surprising – her mile-a-_day_ words sped to mile-a-_minute_.

**7. Wings **

Arguably, the moment when her hair ran unbound and gravity no longer held meaning to someone not of the sky was the time the spark in her eyes burst into full-fledged madness.

**8. Cold**

The new Fire Lord's control was exceptional. Unlike most Firebenders who shoot-and-forget, she controlled even the heat her fires gave off – leaving her guards and guests to fight off shivers in the traditionally unheated throne room.

**9. Red**

It seemed fitting that a Nation with red and black as its colours would leave them in its wake – red, _red_ blood and eyes _red_ from weeping and hatred; along with black burnt soot and razed ground (purged with flame then sown with salt).

**10. Drink**

Azula had learned from the little incident and refuses the sake Iroh snuck from the banquet table. Zuko, who had woken up from the 'lemonade' with a roaring headache and no recollection, enthusiastically accepted the sake and spends the rest of the festival passed out in his carriage.

**11. Midnight**

"Goodbye Azula." Here Ursa paused briefly, "my angel."

**12. Temptation**

"_Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home."_

"_It's not too late for you Zuko. You can still redeem yourself…._ _At the end of this day, you will have your honor back. You will have your father's love. You will have everything you want."_

"_Prince Zuko – Slayer of the Avatar!"_

"_Everybody is waiting for you, Zuko. Let's start the meeting already." _

Yes, in her own way, Azula does look out for her poor fool Zuzu. Of course. He is her brother and family is important, Mother says.

**13. View**

Azula surveyed the city, noting entry points, tactical cover, and the merry blaze the surrounding plains (_tinder, really_) could make.

**14. Music**

Azula's precision and attention to detail made her a natural player, gifted even. Nobody enjoys her recitals as much as they do Iroh's enthusiastic (and slightly off-key) tungsi horn playing though.

**15. Silk**

Azula had a voice of silk – dangerously smooth and its appearance belied the strength within; plus the matter of fraying when rubbed the wrong way.

**16. Cover**

"_Former Princess Azula of the Fire Nation, _

_You are charged with high treason, attempted murder, _

… …_  
>plotting in Earth Kingdom genocide … …<br>and lastly, of animal, specifically endangered Air Bison, abuse."_

Earth Kingdom, Water Tribe, Fire Nation and the Avatar took two days and nights to list the full extent of the war criminal's crimes. Actually, this was the first time they had sat down together and agreed on something.

_(On the second night, by the time the candles were burning low,_

_Sokka stood up and finally sighed, "Ahem, so Azula will be charged with high treason, attempted murder, … … and lastly, of generally being a stuck-up crazy bitch."_

"_She burnt Appa!"_

"_Fine; 'and lastly, of animal abuse.' That cover everything? Good. Finally.")_

**17. Promise**

"_A princess knows when to surrender with honour." _

Of course, a princess always keeps her word. But not to lower people like you, Water Witch.

**18. Dream (D-ream. (2))**

_Encyclopaedia volume D, "Dai Li":_

The Dai Li agents are an organisation that served as the Earth Kingdom's secret police (however foreign such an idea may be, this is apparently accepted in the barbarian town that called itself a kingdom). They are powerful Earthbenders formerly led by Long Feng, until then-Princess Azula took over command. They played a small role in the coup of Ba Sing Se. However, in her wisdom, Empress Azula banished the Earth traitors shortly before her coronation as Fire Lord.

**19. Candle**

"He will never hold a candle to his sister." Ozai sneers and Iroh replies, "Maybe not as a Firebender, but he will be a far better Fire Lord than she ever will."

**20. Talent**

To call Azula's bending a gift would be to overlook the effort she put into perfecting it, but then there is the matter of Agni's –_the Sun God himself! –_ blood flowing through her veins.

**21. Silence**

On the ship home, Azula isolates herself in her cabin. She is thinking, Mai and Ty Lee could tell.

The captain and crew are simply grateful for the calm and thanked Agni above.

**22. Journey**

Somewhen between the crew muttering thanks to Agni and when they started tossing food out the porthole as more tangible sacrifice, Azula decides not to care about why she made the decision, and instead make use of all the possibilities she sees available with the exiled idiot back home.

**23. Fire**

Her first Firebending lesson came not from her Father, not from her Mother, but from Fire Lord Azulon himself: _"Fire is the strongest element. Unlike the weaker elements, we do not depend on our environment to fight." _

**24. Strength **

"Our strength comes from within. Your inner fire becomes your weapon." Grandfather.

"You will learn, Azula, that the world is not very tolerant of failure. People will bow to fear and power more readily than anything else – not gold, not honour, and certainly not weakling emotions like love. Only when you're strong will people fear and follow you." Father.

"Being the Fire Lord is about being strong!" Zuko.

"Remember, true strength comes from the people around you. When they love you, they will follow you to the ends of the earth." Mother.

**25. Mask**

But Grandfather (_namesake, father of my father)_ wasn't quite right; her weapons were more than just blue flames and electricity – her intelligence, aristocratic confidence and sheer ruthlessness rendered her more than strong (and certainly more deadly than Zuko could ever be).

But Father _(mentor, Fire Lord) _wasn't right, not at all. They may follow, but love is apparently stronger than any power I could wield. _("I love Zuko more than I fear you."_)

Brother _(Zuzu, 'Fire Lord') _may have been right; she never could have survived to ascend the throne if she had been weak, after all. But Zuko is naïve if he thought strength was all the Fire Lord required. (Iroh was. The strong fearless general who led the campaign to conquer Ba Sing Se, broke down and gave up the battle after Lu Ten died.)

Mother _(princess _[like me!],_ 'weakling', _mother_) _was almost right, but not quite – nobody loved her, she was sure. ("if", not "when")

**26. Ice**

'_They would be proud of me; I've become their epitomes of strength.'_

Azula met her end in ice. _(I never possessed Mother's 'strength'.)_

**27. Fall  
><strong>

"You don't have the guts!" If she was going down _(to hell)_, well, she'd take him with her.

Zuko's unscarred eye narrowed and the next thing that registered was a sharp pain to her abdomen. Then she was bleeding out her guts on the floor. How undignified.

"Congratulations. You've become just like me."

"Wrong." Whatever response Azula had been expecting, it wasn't this.

**28. Forgotten **

"I will not allow myself to be defeated as you have from underestimation of my ability. My reign will be greater than yours, more glorious than any in the history of our people.

And you, not only will you not witness the rise of such an empire, but I will not allow my reign to be built on the ashes of yours. Your name shall be erased from the annals of history, even as mine shall reverberate forever!"

**29. Dance**

Her eyes widen, struck as never before. Then they close in death, knowing that she will have a companion in hell soon. For heroes always rise to vanquish the tyrants, and inevitably, are corrupted by power.

_- Rise then fall, twirl and turn again - _

Such is the nature of power.

**30. Body**

"Goodbye, Azula." Zuko prepared to burn her body in the Fire Nation's funeral rite. (She was royalty and after all once his sister.)

**31. Sacred**

My mortal body may be incinerated, but I will live on forever.

**32. Farewells**

Zuko doesn't know why she chooses to quote the last two lines of a sonnet as her last words to the world.

"_So long as men can breathe or eyes can see_

"_So long lives this, and this gives life to thee." _ (3)

**33. World (back to canon :)**

Mai tolerates the delight that is Azula's (insane) and Ty Lee's (inane) company and risk of burnt skin/hair/clothes and Ty Lee-induced headaches for the following reasons:

a) Obviously, one does not refuse Azula anything _("No, princess, no!") _and expect to live long.

b) Helping her parents curry favour

c) Actual friendship with Ty Lee (gag) and Azula (gasp)

d) To be a part of Zuko's world.

**34. Formal**

"Hi Azula, Mai and I've been talking and we think you shouldn't be so upset that your mum left. And we just wanted to tell you we'll always be your friends and we'll never go anywhere without you anyway!"  
>" 'Anywhere else' is boring anyway."<p>

**35. Fever**

_They say that the eyes are windows to the soul. _

'_They'_ say a lot of things, but so does Ty Lee.

And Azula's eyes had a feverish bright spark that would not be denied – it would blaze. _(into greatness or madness, Ty Lee was sure)_

**36. Laugh**

She did everything she was bred to: adoring loyalty to Father, check; ensuring loyalty of minions; trusting no one; pushing brother along _– check, check, and check –_ now Zuko is on the throne and her feats are called war crimes.

How times have changed. She should have pushed Zuko down further when he was back in the Fire Nation. _(She should have prevented Mother from leaving – No, she couldn't have – she accepts that now. She should have stopped Father from banishing Zuko; he would have been easier to control if Ozai kept him close and thrown him scraps of affection now and then. She should know.)_

She laughs at herself, madness lending credence. There's time yet to plot her escape, and goodness knows Zuko would drag his feet over her sentencing.

**37. Lies**

"_I am a four hundred foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings." (Yes, I am a very good liar.)_

Truth masquerading as (an obvious) lie.

Double lie.

Azula is a very good liar indeed.

Of course.

**38. Forever**

By all accounts (_for certainly, anything to the contrary was not to be found within the Fire Nation's realm of control),_ all members of the royal family had happy marriages and their happy-ever-afters. (except Iroh, whose wife died in childbirth, but she goes unmentioned.)

_Certainly_ though, Azula had her faith in fairy tales broken in very early in life.

**39. Overwhelmed**

Ty Lee betrayed her.

Mai mutinied against her.

Zuko fought back.

Father distanced himself from her.

Mother left her. _(This in itself is surprisingly underwhelming, but cliffs are undercut by waves that way.)_

Katara defeated her. _(The straw that broke the camel's back, so don't pride yourself, Water Witch.)_

**40. Whisper**

Mother was light and whisper. Father had shadows and power. Their match produced two children – Zuko and Azula.

The former was light and power. (meant to be the shining hero, saviour, Fire Lord.)  
>She had shadows and whispers. (all the power <em>behind<em> the throne)

An ill wind blows; Ozai, and later, Azula steps into the light. _(she didn't understand the spirits do not take kindly to the balance disrupted, birthrights rejected or bloodsins against kin. _

_Her father knew but chose the risk. She was simply taught no other way.)_

**41. Wait **

"_Madness and greatness were two sides of the same coin and every time a new child was born, the gods tossed the coin into the air and the world would hold its breath to see how it would land." (4)_

Fourteen years and a day later, the gods cursed their luck.

**42. Talk**

Azula never speaks carelessly; she measures her words and sees to it that her threats should not have to be carried through, and if they must, she would have the capacity.

**43. Search**

"_Ladies, it looks like we have a new target – the Avatar."_

The search is but the first step in the hunt but Azula allows herself to think ahead and anticipate the fight that will ensue when she finally catches up with the pesky Avatar and friends. If she is having a particularly good day, perhaps Zuko would be there too.

**44. Hope**

She finally realises her reason for offering Zuzu that chance to come home – she was chasing an impossible dream; she wanted her family whole; she was manifesting the self-destruction many geniuses tended to display – take your pick.

**45. Eclipse**

The barest crescent of the sun shone as the moon continued in its orbit. In the royal bunker:

_Ozai shoots a lightning bolt at his son, who directs it right back._

"_Oh. Sounds like the firebending's back on." With that, Azula lashes out in blue flames._

For the normal soldiers, they continue fighting for one full minute before Agni's flames respond to their call. Sadly, one minute on the battlefield means the difference between continuing to fight, or just being dead.

**46. Gravity**

Azula knows Mother: Ursa - the kind noblewoman who loved her first-born so much she would kill her Lord, the lady who fed turtleducks – would never approve of how she hurts people, be it out of necessity – or otherwise.

**47. Highway**

"_Say hello to mother for me," _she whispers to every soul she sends down – practice for someone who would know who she refers to.

**48. Unknown**

Azula doesn't know Mother; not like she thought she did. Ursa herself had killed (_murdered)_.

_Despite her appearance as a well-kept noblewoman, Ursa is capable of _realpolitik_. She analysed the situation, and saw no other alternative other than having the old fool Azulon killed – and there is no one else for the job._

**49. Lock**

Sokka thinks Zuko probably suffers from the same brand of craziness Azula did, when he decides to put Azula away until he decides what to do with her instead of something more sensible_ like gee, I don't know, _killing her immediately.

_(Sokka is a practical guy. So is Azula. He just doesn't – not yet – derive as much pleasure as she does from acts of pragmatism.)_

**50. Breathe**

"Breathe in, breathe out. In, out. In, out."

So long as you are alive – Zuko will fall, one way or the other.

**End**

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><p><strong>LikeLame? Drop me a line. Tell me which ones you liked or didn't ;)**

**Footnotes:**

**(1) **Courtesy of Wikipedia: A Chinese classic text, meant for children. Contains many common characters, grammar structures, elements of Chinese history and the basis of Confucian morality.

**(2)** A ream is a standard quantity of paper

**(3) **From Shakespeare's sonnet 18. Imagery drawn on from 29 and 31, of a circle of corruption - so long as power exists, so does evil.

**(4)** Original quote: _"Madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born, the gods toss that coin into the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land."_ A Song of Ice and Fire

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><p><strong>AN: **_(ie excuses + thoughts of writing this piece.)_

I've made it a sort of personal thing to put something in italics in almost every prompt, be it in parenthesis, or flashback/inner thought/omnipotent facts, or its normal use in emphasis of words in a sentence. Because I love italics.

The prompts are from set Gamma taken from the 50 sentences challenge at LJ.


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